


the note desolation plays no more

by BelievingOreo



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Earth C (Homestuck), Friendship, Gen, Healing, Post-Canon, Sibling Bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-13
Updated: 2018-04-13
Packaged: 2019-04-22 07:19:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,333
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14303649
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BelievingOreo/pseuds/BelievingOreo
Summary: des·o·la·tion/ˌdesəˈlāSH(ə)n/(noun)• a state of complete emptiness or destruction.• anguished misery or loneliness.antonyms: jubilation, rapture, reconstruction





	the note desolation plays no more

**Author's Note:**

> i got the idea for this at like 1am on the 12th so here we are.  
> this is purely about healing post game. and its sort of my own personal exploring of what the beta kids have meant to me ever since i first read hs back in 2012 and i was only 13. 
> 
> hope u guys like it and happy 413 everyone >:]<3
> 
> a [song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOkC0hVtA2o) for these trying times

It takes a week for the four of them to be together in one place. A week of gathering themselves and settling into new homes and new lives. Surprisingly, it’s Rose who manages to corral the others into agreeing on one place and time to meet. The four of them, the original four: John, Rose, Dave, and Jade, went to a town far away from their homes and everyone else. The next couple of days were to be only about them and their friendship with each other.

  
Jade arrives in a seemingly empty home, the house the four of them bought for their “BFFsies Only Trips.” She’s vibrating and her ears twitch constantly searching for any sound of another living person. Instead what she gets is a complicated trap that sends multiple cakes flying into her face. There is a distant giggling accompanied by the sounds of two sets of running feet. Why are they even running when all of them could float what dorks, Jade smiles at the thought regardless of the cake all over her.

  
“John! And whoever else is here, I’m going to end you both, or all three of you! However many of you heathens planned this!” Jade's voice booms in the expanse of the home, the echo ringing after she's done yelling. She picks her way through the incredibly extensive trap set. The first person she notices is Dave sitting at the table in the dining room, a champagne glass full of champagne?

  
“Hey, want some apple juice?”

  
There are too many feelings in Jade’s chest, she bursts into loud laughter and launches herself at Dave. He’s surprised of course, but he stands up to catch her. Dave would always catch her. Her laughter turns into open sobs as her face is tucked in the junction between his neck and shoulder. They stay together like that for a short while, she curls deeper into Dave when his arms wrap around her. He starts to sway her gently where they stand, crooning soft sounds so his throat vibrates against her ear.

  
Jade can hear soft voices somewhere in the room but she was too caught up in her emotions to really think beyond the comfort of one of her favorite people. The background thought of how they weren’t complete was pushed to the side for the warmth of one singular Dave Strider.

  
She feels another pair of soft arms wrap around her back, it only makes Jade cry harder when Rose presses close to her. She somehow manages to start petting Jade’s hair, it’s almost too much. Suddenly there's another face pressing in close to hers from behind Dave. John laughs as she wraps his arms around the huddled group and lifts, taken by surprise and just an overwhelming love for her friends Jade squeals out.   
She starts to giggle as John blows air in her face. When he sets them down, Jade manages to untangle herself enough to pull back and face everyone. Rose isn’t letting Jade out of her arms, but no one is complaining. They were all smiling wide and she was just so so happy.

  
Jade takes one deep breath and starts to wipe at her eyes, “I actually would love some apple juice in a champagne glass.”

  
It’s with a contented sigh that they all separate then, Dave busies instantly heads to the kitchen for more glasses. He mumbles under his breath doing so, Jade has never been so glad to hear something as dorky as Dave rapping to himself as she was then. Rose disappears into the kitchen, saying something about finding the lunch that Kanaya had made for them earlier.

  
With the other two gone, Jade finally takes a real look at John. Before they had been too busy, and now here he was. Whole, alive, and smiling at her. She almost cries again. John miraculously notices, or perhaps he too just missed her. But either way, he gently hugs her again and Jade clings hard to her brother.  
“I missed you a lot, you big idiot.”

  
John laughs at her and Jade pulls back just enough to punch his shoulder. She smiles when he groans out in pain, “I’m serious you jerk! I was lonely without you! Who leaves their big sister alone with only consorts for company for three years? Jerk little friendleader brothers are who!” She punches him again just to get the message through.

  
This time John sighs, he looks at her fondly and pushes her hair back from her face and plants a gentle kiss on Jade’s forehead. “I missed you too, even if it was only for a day. I’m sorry you had to be alone the whole trip.”

  
Jade tucks herself into John again closing her eyes, “I know. It still felt awful though, did you know I apparently dated Davesprite? He apologized to me for it as Davepeta. Was it really that bad?”  
John jerked back with a twisted face and Jade laughed. Instead of answering the question John decided to tickle Jade. She screamed and tried to escape but without the Green Sun’s powers, all she could do was wrestle her way out.

  
In the middle of her mad escape, Jade bumps into Rose who came out of the kitchen with a large picnic basket. Both girls barely managed to stay on their feet, and Jade sent a sheepish smile in apology. Dave appears behind Rose carrying four champagne glasses and a chilled bottle of apple cider.

  
“Karkat says we have to ‘have a fucking picnic outside because it’s damn beautiful and a waste of existence to stay cooped up inside like we all were for those three dark as fuck years.’ So picnic time it is, pack up the sap Harleyberts. We’re taking you both on a picnic.”

  
Dave smiles when Jade jumps excitedly, she offers to help but both Dave and Rose know she’s too excited to not drop something. Instead, John offers to take the cider glasses so Dave doesn’t drop either them or the glasses. Even though John was carrying the bottles, he still manages to wrap an arm around Dave’s shoulder.   
It was a small hike to where Dave and Rose planned for the picnic, so the two follow behind their sisters and watch fondly as the two catch up, “Hey Dave?” John pauses and he doesn’t continue till Dave responds with a soft questioning sound. “I know we talked a lot already, but I’m glad you’re here. Like physically here, it’s great to be able to hug my best bro like this.”

  
Dave smiles large and bright, “Me too.” Is all he says and John barely catches it because he’s so surprised by the change in demeanor. Whatever happened on the meteor in this timeline with Karkat, John is glad for it. Clearly, it did something good for Dave if he can smile like that.

  
Dave starts to say something else but is interrupted when Jade tosses a knit ball of Rose’s at them. Both turn to look at the two girls who have situated themselves up on top of the hill under a large tree. Sighing softly, John shakes his head and jogs to join the two. Dave keeps a steady pace and admires the sight of his best friends chatting happily together.

  
He noticed the golden halo around Rose’s hair from the sun, the way that Jade’s eyes were a brighter green when outside and how it matched the green around them. He also appreciated the lightness around John, the way his entire demeanor screamed that nothing could be better than this moment. Dave agreed, and for the first time in three years, his hands twitched with the desire to capture it into a picture.

  
By the time he gets to the top, he can hear John again, “…on a hill. This is all pretty stereotypical isn’t it?”   
“Why John. Don’t you think we deserve something as benignly pleasant as this is? We’ve never been able to be all together under situations that weren’t incredibly dire.” Rose remarks as she smooths out her skirt from the ground. Jade is next to her sitting on a root and pulling plates and whatnot from the picnic basket.

  
“Yeah John,” Dave interjects childishly. He smiles brightly again when John turns to make a face at him. Rose starts to laugh when Dave responds in kind, it's horribly childish but then again. They were only sixteen still, things like having fun with friends was never something they would ever be too mature for. Who would want that kind of life?

  
Rose is distracted from the boy’s silly antics when Jade collapses against her shoulder. She quietly turns to look at her but Jade is determined to watch Dave and John as they get up to start fooling around more. Rose feels an old familiar feeling tug in her chest, seeing Jade look as forlorn. An old regret, something that had been pushed aside for more present issues until now.

  
“How are you, Jade? We haven’t had any time to talk, just us two in so long.” Rose doesn’t expect Jade’s eyes to be filled with tears again, she maybe begins to understand what Kanaya and Karkat had meant before about moirallegiance. It wasn’t pity, however, just intense sympathy and the nearly overwhelming desire to help. If it were possible, Rose would say she had pale learnings to all three of the dorks here with her. But she knew that wasn’t what she was really feeling, the only person Rose could ever feel for was Kanaya. That didn’t stop the need in her chest that led to her pulling Jade closer when she doesn’t answer.

  
When Dave and John finally calm down and join them on the blanket, Jade sits up gesturing to the food set out, ignoring Rose’s question from before. “Geez, why did Kanaya even pack so much food. Dave, did you tell her something silly and totally untrue?”

  
Rose giggles behind her hand as Dave squawks loudly in protest and points to Rose. Her giggles turn into laughs when Jade turns her wide eyes to Rose, “Did YOU tell Kanaya something wrong!?”

  
Dave joins in her laughter when John shouts a scandalized “Rose!” As if they all hadn’t already done it plenty to Kanaya or any of the trolls. It’s only once Rose manages to calm herself again with several deep breaths she answers Jade’s increasingly dramatic whining.

  
“No, no not this time. I promise. Kanaya’s just started learning about how to cook human meals and when I explained to her about our picnic plan and what that meant, she insisted on packing lunch for us.”  
Jade turns to regard the food once more, “This doesn’t look like any food I’ve ever seen before. Not that I have much authority I guess, just Nanasprite never made anything like this.” She looks up sheepishly and smiles.

  
Dave nods as if considering something, his hand on his chin. “Nope sure isn’t anything I’ve ever seen either. Don’t worry about being the odd one out this time Harley.”

  
“Kanaya insisted we were the first to try her cooking, so this is the first human meal she’s made. I tried to tell her the bugs were a bad idea, but alas she did not listen.” Rose shook her head and looked down. Hoping none the others noticed her smile.

  
Of course, no one but the self-proclaimed “pranking master” would notice. So when he clapped his hands to his cheeks and gasped wildly while Jade and Dave groaned. Rose smiled even larger. “That is so sweet! How did she even know bugs were my favorite food?”

  
Rose couldn’t help herself, she started laughing. Dave was both unsurprised but also still horribly disgusted at the thought of bugs in the food. Meanwhile Jade was watching Rose with a careful look.

  
“There’s…not really any bugs in it right? I don’t want to be rude and reject Kanaya’s handmade food, but I really don’t want to eat any bugs either!” She was so worried, it was so sweet and cute. Rose loved her, she really did. All of them did.

  
Rose lifts a hand to scratch behind a furry white ear, “No Jade. There are no bugs, but this really is the first thing she’s made so let’s all just be careful.”

  
The two share a smile, and finally, the food is passed around so everyone has a share of all of it. Dave and Rose entertain the other two with stories from the meteor, catching them up on what happened during their three years of separation. Eventually, with their stomachs full and plates empty, the four of them quieted down and instead simply enjoyed their surroundings.

  
Jade laid back and looked to the sky. It had been so long since she was able to do something like just watching the clouds, there weren’t any images from past or future anymore. It didn’t change the fact that white clouds against a bright blue sky would always be a comfort to her. They always had a way to make her feel less alone.

  
Dave focused on the ground beneath him. He looked at the way the grass poked up from underneath his hand. Felt the dirt beneath, it was so different compared to the concrete jungle he had known in Houston. It was better the world felt more real here than it did in a penthouse apartment above the city.

  
Rose looked out to where she could see a distant body of water. She couldn’t tell if it was an ocean or not. It reminded her of her own planet, the quest that she was never sure was truly meant for her or the idea of what a child would have wanted. It sobers her as much as it grounds her in fond memories of growing up over a river.

  
John watched the tree leaves moving with the breeze. It was as calming as it was a painful memory, he silences the rustling with his powers stopping the breeze up above them. There was no more need for that anymore, he focused on the way the shadows of the leaves fell on his friends before him instead.

  
It’s as the sun starts to set that Jade finally breaks the silence again, “It’s really lonely. Being a hero of Space, the more I learn about it the farther away from you guys I feel. A lot of times, I’m not even sure it was ever worth it. Not if it meant I might lose all of you.”

  
Her expression is stoney, and in her chest, Jade feels cold. Cold and empty like space, like the Calliope she saw fly into the Green Sun. She wonders not for the first time, why her aspect was of Space and how it was supposed to fit her when all it’s done is take her away from those dearest to her. What was the use of having the powers she had if it meant she could not protect anyone with them? Jade suddenly felt an urge to scream at paradox space, but as she learned during her time alone on the ship. It wouldn’t help in the long run, so she holds it for now. Saves it for another time, a moment in which she can release her anger in a way that wouldn’t affect her friends.

  
It’s Dave who speaks next, even if things never did and never will work out romantically between them. Jade knows she will always love him one way or another, “I think we’re all pretty lonely. There is always something that will haunt each and every one of us and us alone. We each experienced the game so differently in a way that no one else can understand, not even our other selves. So it’s going to be okay, we still have each other. We will all be lonely together.”

  
“That was a really soft thing to say, Dave,” Rose mocks him gently but the way she holds onto Jade’s hand shows another thing entirely.

  
John latches onto both Jade and Dave, “Aww Dave! That was so sweet, we love you too!” He presses a sloppy kiss to Dave’s cheek and laughs when his victim groans and wipes obnoxiously at it.

  
The moment he looks over to Jade though, John sobers up again. Pulling her closely and burying his face in her hair, he speaks his piece, “He’s right though Jade, we all have each other always. If not these two dorks, then you’ll always have me at least. I won’t leave my sister alone again.”

  
Rose and Dave press in closer, both promising that they won’t let something like Space split them up. Not after everything the game had tried and failed to do to tear them apart before. A small breeze picks up again, carrying the cool night air and the gentle rustling of leaves once more. Complaining of the cold, Dave gets Rose to help him pack all the picnic gear away so they can return to the warmth of the house.

  
Meanwhile Jade holds onto John’s hand and they watch the stars start to peak through the night sky. The constellations were mostly new, but Jade had taken to learning the stories behind Earth C’s stars. She takes the time to point them out to John using their conjoined hands, and explains what the people of their planet believed about their “creators.” The four children who defeated fate and created a new home out of defeat and loss. Their friends and family, who fought with more than what they had to give, for the birth of a new home.

  
John listens intently as if this were the mythology of god’s long past and not themselves she was retelling him the story of. He still smiles at everything, the ups, and downs of the story. She finishes by pointing at the two bright yellow stars, Jade’s voice is quiet and John barely hears her when she says, “Those two are the twins of Prospit. They’re said to have been more powerful than anything else, they are the last stars to disappear in the morning. Often staying visible well after the sun has risen. It’s believed that to wish on them is to bring great fortune and are often used as a representation of familial bonds.”

  
Jade then drops John’s hand with a soft smile and says that she is going to join Dave and Rose inside. John watches her back, and when Jade disappears inside he looks to the sky once more. He easily spots the Prospitian Royalty cluster but instead chooses to focus on the Amicitia constellation. He faithfully traced the way each one was connected to create the image.

  
Suddenly John understands, he understands the greatness of the heroes the people worship. He understands, but he also knows it’s not really them. It’s only an image, they were all just kids who wanted to play a game together as friends and got more than they bargained for. For the first time in a very long while, John settles into himself. Present in the moment and with nothing on the horizon except enjoying this new planet they have made for themselves. John figures everything will be okay.

  
As he starts to head down the hill and back home because that's what they were—Jade, Rose, and Dave—they were his home and always would be, the breeze stops. Without intervention, the leaves no longer rustle, and the world is still but also full of life. Sounds of life instead fill the silence that was the breeze. Birds chirp as they settle for the night, frogs croak in the distance, and the grasshopper’s song serenades them all. The stars shine bright, and for once things will be okay. Not perfect, but nothing can ever be perfect. The universe will just have to settle with well enough. And well enough it was.

 

**Author's Note:**

> woo i cant believe homestuck has been over for 2 years. i still remember watching act 7 in a skype call with friends and crying even tho by then i had stopped reading anw thanks for reading wow
> 
> this Was meant to be longer but i figured what i had planned would be too unlikely to have happen so it.. didnt haha anw hope yall r having good homestuck days


End file.
